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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23889259">Love is Warmth and Noise</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mystery_deer/pseuds/mystery_deer'>mystery_deer</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Domestic Fluff, F/M, NB Farmer, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, my farmer uses she/her pronouns but is nebulous about gender, she comes out late in life there's like a whole thing in my head, the most self-indulgent thing I've written</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 15:54:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,137</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23889259</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mystery_deer/pseuds/mystery_deer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ford washes the farmer's hair and thinks about how he got here.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ford (Trio of Towns)/Original Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Love is Warmth and Noise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Close your eyes.”<br/>	“I am!”<br/>	“Not that tightly, just relax.” </p>
<p>	Rory yelped dramatically as her husband poured warm water over her head in a gentle stream. He had bought a bath rinser for just such occasions, frog-shaped and obviously for infants but neither of them acknowledged it.</p>
<p>	“Can I open my eyes now?”<br/>	“Nearly.” </p>
<p>	Ford’s fingers were thin and precise as they made their way through Rory’s hair, scratching and massaging away the bubbles left behind by her shampoo. <br/>	She kept it short but messy and it was almost novel to see it like this, long-looking because of the water and sticking to her head. </p>
<p>	The late afternoon sun filtered lazily through the lone window high above them and the bathroom was filled with quiet sound. Water sloshing, cicadas beginning to buzz, their dog barking at some imagined intruder and a far off cow’s moo. When he’d first moved in it had been a lot, a constant barrage of sound compared to the pin-drop silence of his office/apartment. </p>
<p>	But after a while the noise had become a comfort, something he welcomed and sometimes longed for when he was away from it. </p>
<p>	Rory’s noise was the first thing he’d noticed about her.</p>
<p>	Again, at first it was an annoyance. Too much. He couldn’t help but talk about it and one day Wayne smiled slowly and said to him; <i>“You sure think about that farmer a lot huh?”</i><br/>	And he realized he did.</p>
<p>	And soon after that he began finding her ruckus intriguing. She was a one man marching band, whistling and singing as she walked from town to town and tapping or slapping her hands against any flat surface she could. The change was so gradual he couldn't mark its beginning. </p>
<p>	Her work boots clunked against his floor and left scuff marks on the polished linoleum. <br/>	Her lopsided smile shone bright enough to make up for it.</p>
<p>	<i>Much too sappy.</i> He thought to himself, pouring another pitcher of water over his spouse's head. <i>She’ll think I’ve lost my mind.</i></p>
<p>	<i>“I like that you’re a weirdo!”</i> The memory of her voice in that moment caught Ford off guard. They were at the top of a lookout point and Rory was sitting on the fence, balancing. Ford had been watching her, half worried for her safety and half enjoying the view. The mountains were blooming with summer flowers and her skin was a warm brown that seemed to glow in the light.</p>
<p>	<i>“It’s ‘cause you’re a weirdo that you’re cool!”</i><br/>	<i>“My oddity is my greatest virtue?...I’m not sure I follow.”</i> When she’d said he was weird he hadn’t batted an eyelash. He’d heard of many couples staying together despite small flaws. He’s kind of lazy, but I like him anyway or She’s a bit high strung but I can’t help but love her. The fact of the matter was he was weird. Everyone knew it and Rory seemed to be willing to look past that.</p>
<p>	But now she was saying something...new. </p>
<p>	<i>“Well, you see things in a way that no one else does you know? You think different, I’ve never met anyone else like you, Ford.”</i> She explained, switching her position so that her legs were dangling off the side of the lookout. Ford twitched, making a move to grab her but found her looking back at him, leaning so their faces were nearly touching.</p>
<p>	<i>“I think that’s love, you know? I wanna hear what you think about EVERYTHING.”</i> And he took her word for it, because he’d never been in love but he understood the sentiment. Because of her. </p>
<p>	Everyone’s noise bothered him, no matter how close he was to them. But hers…<br/>	He watched as she lost her grip and landed safely in the grass at his feet, laughing at her mistake.<br/>	He could listen forever.</p>
<p>      “Alright, it’s safe to open your eyes now.” He said, placing the pitcher on the floor beside the tub. The room had gotten steamy and he yawned, finding the heat made him languid. </p>
<p>	Rory yawned in turn and stretched, sighing contently as she let her arms splash down into the water again.</p>
<p>	“That was so relaxing!” She chirped, looking pleased. Water ran down her face in rivets and she quickly brushed it all off of her forehead with her hands, giving her a birdish look. </p>
<p>	“Surprisingly, I agree.” Ford said, sinking back up to his chest in the water and squinting to see his spouse through the light fog and his poor vision. “I never thought something so trivial could be so enjoyable.”</p>
<p>	Outside someone, probably Noel given the youthful warble in the notes, began to sing and Rory hummed along.<br/>	“She’s getting better.” She remarked, mirroring Ford’s position on the other side of the tub. <br/>	“I’ll take your word for it.” <br/>        They both lapsed into a peaceful silence, listening to the world shuffle along outside their home. More children had come out and begun a game of some sort, shrieking with laughter and arguing over rules. A tree branch lightly smacked against the window as an animal scurried onto it. A bird began to caw, flying away from them as the sound faded into nothing.</p>
<p>	The light coming in was a rich orange when Ford opened his eyes at the sound of water moving. Rory had made her way from the opposite side of the tub to his side, sitting beside him and resting her head against his. They were the same height like this, when they stood she was just a hair taller. <br/>	A few years ago he would have winced at this closeness, at the very idea of bathing with someone. Some part of him still thought the idea silly, frivolous. </p>
<p>	And yet when she’d asked if he’d wash her hair he’d said yes.<br/>	<i>I think that’s love, you know?</i></p>
<p>	Ford snuck a look at Rory and found her falling asleep, breathing in that heavy-exhausted way of hers. Like she was always on the cusp of snoring.<br/>	He blushed lightly. He knew her ways and she knew his. </p>
<p>	And yet they always craved more.<br/>	Perhaps love was another unending thirst for knowledge.</p>
<p>	“Rory, wake up. You’ll catch a cold.” <br/>	“‘M’awake…” She mumbled, eyes still closed.<br/>	“You’re falling asleep. Let’s get out and go to bed.”<br/>	“No...five more minutes?”</p>
<p>	He paused in thought and she took the opportunity to kiss him lazily on the cheek.<br/>	“...Fine. But I’ll be counting.” A soft rumble as she laughed.<br/>	“‘Kay.”<br/>	After a minute passed she spoke up again, voice soft with sleep. <br/>	“It’s warm.”</p>
<p>	He looked up at the ceiling, closing his eyes and letting himself feel the water against his skin, the swell of her breast against his arm, his own heart beat out of sync with her slow and sleepy one. </p>
<p>	“Yes.” He agreed, smiling. “It is.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Is it a crime to want more soft romantic scenes in my farming simulation game?</p></blockquote></div></div>
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